


my heart is breathing (for this moment in time)

by harrylouiz



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Ancient Egypt, Ancient History, Ancient Rome, Egypt, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Germany, Historical, Inspired by Once Upon a Time (TV), Kings & Queens, London Knights, M/M, Major Character Injury, Pining, Reincarnation, Royalty, Strangers to Lovers, The X Factor Era, Thief Harry, Thief Louis Tomlinson, World War I, i procrastinated, literally posted this the day of, sorry if some of them are shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-04 06:18:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4128040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrylouiz/pseuds/harrylouiz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>seven times in history where harry and louis meet and it doesn't work out.<br/>one time it does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my heart is breathing (for this moment in time)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [musiclily88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiclily88/gifts).



> This is for musiclily88, hope you like it. It was so much fun to write!  
> Some of it was inspired by Once Upon A Time.  
> Check out [The Larry Archives](larryarchives.tumblr.com) who rec'd this fic and featured it on their "New and Upcoming" tab. Thanks for all your support guys. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, Harry and Louis have not actually met multiple times in previous lives, as this is a work of fiction concocted from my brain. I don't own any of these characters. If you are in this fic or know someone this fic, please follow me on twitter.

**217 B.C.**

The inside of the Pharaoh’s tomb was painted with gold lining. Torches brought light into the small murky room, illuminating Harry’s face. It smelled a bit of dampness, and the room was completely silent. The job, though at times lonely and boring, was enough for Harry. He wasn’t a people person, so guarding the empty treasure room was a task he could handle. He stood at the door from dawn till dusk in his white linen uniform. Tomb robbers were quite dangerous, and Harry was glad he had not yet had to encounter one.

He was watching the wall of the nearest entrance, counting all the indentations into the sandy rock wall, like he usually did. He was up to about 734, almost his high score, when he heard voices speaking down the long corridor. Shit. Harry furrowed his brow and tightened his grip on his spear. It was literally his one job to guard this tomb, and he was finally going to do it.

Two men turned the corner and ran towards him as soon as they locked eyes. One was a tall man with tan skin and deep Arabian features. He was definitely Egyptian by his appearance. The other man was shorter, with lighter, but still tan skin, and light brown hair. He looked European, which was odd to Harry, since he had only seen few Euros in his entire life. Egypt was a long way from the countries north, and no one ever made the trek often. The two men muttered commands in a language Harry didn’t know, and charged faster than they had been running before at him, spears pointed towards his face. Harry knew at this point he was very outnumbered and there would be no way he’d been getting out alive. It was a surprise when the smaller Euro one yelled abruptly “STOP!” in the Egyptian language.

“Zayn, come here, please.” He said, and waved the Egyptian one, Zayn, over to him. They whispered for a while, finally agreed on something, and walked over to Harry.

“Considering we can either kill you or spare you, we’d like to make you an offer.” Zayn spat out, narrowing his eyes. “Basically you either die or join our team. We need another person to help us get to the tomb. You know your way around, it seems, and you look like you wouldn’t harm a fly.”

“What’s wrong with you!?” Harry questioned, staring him straight in the eye.

He smirked, “Lots of things.”

The decision was obvious. but he was still  forming a plan in his head, making it look like it was a hard choice. He was loyal to the Pharaoh, to his country, forever. But, he wasn’t about to get himself killed when he could easily be spared. He would join their team, for now, but turn on the men and kill them as soon as they trusted him.

“Okay, I’ll help you,” Harry whispered, “I’m Harry.” Zayn looked over to the Euro man and back to Harry a few times, before sticking out his hand.

“I’m Zayn, which you probably know. And this is Louis.” Louis stuck out his hand as well, and gave a little smile before speaking.

“Louis Tomlinson, if you’ve heard of me. _Kind_ of a big deal. Most successful thief in Europe _and_ Africa. World famous.” Harry’s face stayed blank “ _No_? I stole 7000 gold coins from Rome. No? _No_? Really. Gosh you must live under a rock. Well, considering _this_ is your job, I don’t blame you. This is awkward.” Harry was silent.

“Basically this is the best team there is, if you want to be a successful thief, bud.” Zayn said. “And don’t mind his accent. I taught him Egyptian, but he sucks at it. He’s got that whole Euro thing going on.” Once again, Harry did not speak. “Well, okay, be an asshole. Don’t talk to us. It will be much more fun if you do though.” Louis laughed.

“He’s right. The whole rush of almost getting caught. It’s a blast, there's nothing better.” Louis wiggled his eyebrows. “It’s enough for me.”

They picked up their stuff and made their way deeper into the pyramid. Harry led them to the right place, he wasn’t going to blow his cover this fast, that would be idiotic.

It was a colossal pyramid, for sure, so the walk was a long one. Louis was very talkative, and he chattered the entire journey. He asked Harry questions the entire time, and they got to know each other a bit. Louis was born and raised up north, but he heard tales of a great land south. He had always been great at stealing but once the government was after him back home he decided to try his luck here. He didn’t seem as depraved, as despicable, as they talked as Harry had thought. His smile made Harry happy and when Louis told his stories Harry could feel like he was there if he closed his eyes. They bumped into each other a lot while they walked, considering it was very dark inside the tunnels, but it was okay. It felt okay. His skin was warm and his arms were rough. Just being around another person made Harry feel a little less lonely. He’d spent an awfully long time down here with no interaction. It was easy to let Louis in, to like him. He was the first person who’d ever taken an interest in getting to know Harry.

When they finally arrived at the treasure room, Zayn went inside and Louis and Harry stayed behind. Louis looked into Harry’s eyes and smiled.

“It’s been really great talking to you, Harry. You should come with us. We’re going south of Egypt next. It will be great.” he said, putting an arm around Harry’s shoulder. Harry shook his head.

“I don’t know, I don’t think I’m cut out for your kind of work.” Louis pulled his arm off. He leaned in and put his face just inches away.

“What if there’s something else. What if I don’t want you for your thievery skills.” Louis whispered, looking down at Harry’s lips. He leaned in and their lips touched. Harry dug his fingers into Lou’s hair and Louis wrapped his arms around Harry’s back. The kiss was long and hard. It was magical.

But Harry pulled apart and whispered, “Lou. I’m sorry. I can’t go.” Louis’ face turned into confusion. He looked down at the sandy floor. “I’m sorry Louis.” Harry muttered.

As Louis raised his gaze, Harry raised his spear. He pierced it through Louis’s heart as his eyes grew wide in shock and he shlumped to the floor.

Harry choked out a sob. “My allegiance is to my country.” he said, tears rolling down his face. He pulled out the spear slowly, and walked into the other room to finish Zayn as well.

**325 A.D.**

They were laying in the sand. The warm water from the beach hit their toes as the tide came in. Harry wrapped his arms around Lou. He was so happy here. The air was pleasantly hot and he didn’t even mind the tiny rocks inside his sandals. Clouds drifted slowly across the sky, and the sound of the waves crashing together echoed through the air.

“Louis?” Harry asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever feel like this is all meaningless. Society? I mean.” He closed his eyes.

“What are you getting at? he asked.

“Like how nothing really matters except for right now. Nothing in the past, nothing in the future. Just this very moment.”

“I do. I think that a lot.” he said quietly, his folding his own hands and reaching out for Harry’s. “Except one change. I think that nothing matters except for being with you. All I’ve ever needed is staring right at me.”

Harry leaned over and pressed his lips on Louis’. Shivers went up his spine, despite the hot air, and it felt as though his heart beat faster than it ever had before. Nothing ever felt more right than that.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by thunderous footsteps and the clashing of armour. Typical. They'd been dodging this moment, dodging the law ever since they had gotten together. They pulled apart and looked back towards land.

“Shit.” Louis whispered. A small army charged forwards, eyes locked on the two.

“What is this?” one of the men, one who was probably the leader, called.

"Okay, we didn't do anything wrong." Louis insisted.

 

“A man shall not lie with a man. It is an abomination. If they do, they shall be stoned.” he recited. "That is your crime."

They closed in on them, pulling them apart, chaining silver makeshift locks around their hands.

They were taken to separate jail cells, walls in between them that made them feel miles apart. Harry sat in his cell, unable to sleep, unable to get Louis, the feeling of kissing Louis, out of his head.

“Louis?” Harry asked out in the silence.

“Yeah?”

“I feel so _alone_.”

“I’m right here.” he whispered softly.

“Are you really, though? Because you don’t seem very here right now.”

“I promise, I’m as here as I can be.” he muttered, reaching his hand out of the cell and closer to Harry’s. Harry did the same. It was nice, comforting to feel his warm touch. If he closed his eyes, for a second, it almost felt that they weren’t where they were, that they were back on the beach.

“All I want to do is sleep, take a break from reality, but I can’t. My mind keeps swirling with thoughts and fears and my brain just can’t shut down.” Harry whispered.

“It will be okay.” Louis muttered, squeezing Harry’s hand. “It will be okay.” They fell asleep like this, together. It was the guards that awoke them with a kick to break apart their hands.

That afternoon that they got the final decree from the emperor, and one of the guards came back down to the dusty room to deliver the news.

“The emperor has shown mercy to you,” he started, “probably because he doesn’t want to deal with another love execution because of last time,” he snorted, “ and surprisingly,” he laughed out loud, “you are only sentenced to _exile_.”

No, Harry thought. Exile was just as bad as death. He would never see Louis again. Never feel his touch, never kiss his lips. He had his whole life to think about what he was missing. In that way, exile was worse than death. They took them the next day, separately. It took three guards to break apart their final goodbye.

“Harry, I will never forget you!” Louis yelled from down the hall as they took him away.“ I love-” he started, but was cut off by the door slam. They were sent in opposite directions that day on separate boats. A few months later they both arrived at their permanent homes. They lived out their lives, in sadness, and grief, in opposite lands with opposite cultures but were always thinking of the same thing. Each other.

**832 A.D.**

The woods were brilliantly green. It was midsummer, and it was as hot as ever. The forest was alive with creatures scurrying around in the dirt and the trees swayed with the warm breeze every so often. It was a perfect summer day, Harry thought. He was high up in the tree tops, waiting for a carriage to rumble down the path. He had chopped down a large tree branch, hoping to force some posh stranger to get out of their carriage and investigate as he stole from them. When a gold carriage did come down the road, he executed his plan as expected. A prince, presumably, emerged out to move the tree trunk. Just as he saw that the tree had been cut and didn’t fall, it was too late. Harry had already swung into the carriage and had grabbed a jewel purse. A brunette woman inside screamed.

“A thief!” she cried. “Louis, a thief!”

Prepared for this, as the skillful thief he was, he pushed a guard off his horse and got on, riding away with his loot. It was so routine, by this point. He was wanted in every kingdom for that reason. One walking through the forest could easily point out ten or fifteen scrolls nailed to trees with his face drawn next to the word ‘CRIMINAL’.

What he was not prepared for, though, was being found. A few minutes later he heard hoofbeats in the distance. He wrote it off as a coincidence. Rookie move. He was getting too comfortable.

He was walking through the forest, having let the horse go, when he was tackled to the ground. They wrestled a bit, before the man, the prince he had stole from, ended up on top. He laughed a little, and smiled.

“Thought you could steal from me and get away with it?” he jeered.

Harry looked at his surroundings. Nothing was within arms reach, so he scooted a few inches until he was close enough to grab a rock, which he then used to hit the prince’s head. He lost consciousness, and Harry rolled him off and stood up.

“Yeah. I did think that.” he said, brushing the dirt off from his pants. He once again stole a horse from the prince, and rode off. Farther. though, this time. He wasn’t going to risk being caught again. He made a tent and fell asleep, dreaming of the prince’s luminous blue eyes amongst other things.

He awoke in the early dawn, mouth burning from a lack of water. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, standing and stretching out his arms. The walk to the stream was short. That’s why he made camp there, for one reason. On his walk back, something seemed slightly off. The animals seemed quieter than usual. Something was up. He noticed the trap one second too late. He was scooped up in the net, meters from the ground.

“Ah. Gotcha.” the prince said, emerging from some shrubbery with a smile. “You could have made this harder, you know.”

“Fuck,” Harry exclaimed, clawing at the net. “Fuck.”

“You know what I’m gonna say. Give me the ring or I’ll turn you in. I need it.” the prince yelled. Harry smiled.

“What do you need a ring for, _anyway_ , prince _charming_? Harry sneered. He battled the net again, trying to get out.

“Don’t bother, I triple checked to make sure that was sturdy. And the ring was my mother’s. I need it. Seriously. It’s important.”

“Sorry mate,” Harry laughed. “I sold it as soon as I got it. Nice little shop a couple miles up.” The prince sighed. Harry laughed again.

“Don’t laugh, you’re coming with me to get it back.” the prince chimed back. “What’s your name?” he asked. “I’m Louis.”

“I’m Harry. Now bloody get me out of here, prince charming.” he quipped. Louis pulled the rope pulley and Harry fell to the floor. "Thanks." he muttered.

“Let’s go. By the way, I grabbed some valuables from the tent, so don’t try to run. You’ll get it back when I get my ring.”

They walked up the path, chatting a little. Mainly showing each other up with sarcastic jokes. Harry was truly having a good time leading the prince on a wild goose chase as the actual ring was still inside his pocket. Louis was either not very bright, or unusually trusting of a criminal. He didn’t even _bother_ to check if the ring really was sold. Harry smirked. Maybe it would be fun tricking him. He’d get an afternoon of company and the ring.

“So I bet you’re dying to know why I need the ring so badly.” Louis said out of the blue breaking a silence. Harry looked over inquiringly and nodded.

“I’m getting married in a few days,” he started. “It was my mother’s ring, and it’s tradition to give it to my new wife.” Louis looked at the grass. “The thing is, though, I don’t want to.”

“Which? Give her the ring or marry her?” Harry asked. Louis frowned.

“The marriage is arranged. I don't even think I like women. Plus that ring from my mother is really special to her, and I feel weird giving it to someone I don't love. So, both, I guess.”

They both stayed silent for a while. After a while though Harry came up with a funny joke and they brought back the happy atmosphere.

Louis was much more fun than Harry expected. They shared a lot of stories.

"Last summer, my father and I were up north for a conference, and we're in like the middle of it, and all of a sudden this girl just throws up. Everywhere. All over the notes, over the speaker, over the entire room. It was disgusting. But it was hilarious. 'Cause all of those crusty old men looked so uncomfortable, they didn't know what to do or what to say. I laughed so loud looking at their faces. At least it got me out of that. It was so boring." Louis said, laughing. Harry laughed as well. 

"One time, I was taking some food from a market. I took a couple apples and walked away, everything was fine. But a few minutes later I looked in my bag, right, and there's ten more apples! I was so confused." he chuckled. "And then this random girl walks about to me, and says, 'I saw you were stealing and the owner is a fucking wanker so I put a couple more in your bag' and I just stand there with my mouth open, and she smiles and walks away. That was so weird." 

“You know, this was actually fun,” Louis said with a smile as they stood in front of the shop. “It was nice to talk to you.” he said. “But I guess this is goodbye, right?” he pouted.

“Hey. I need you to close your eyes.” Harry said.

Louis looked around quizzingly.

“Just close your eyes and trust me.”

“But-” he started.

“Shhhh. Just trust me.”

He leaned in and kissed Louis right on the mouth. The kiss was warm and their mouths fit together in such a way that seemed that they were meant for each other. It reminded Harry of home. Louis kissed back, running his hands through Harry’s thick curls. Their bodies pressed against each other.

Harry pulled away. “I’ve got a confession to make.” he admitted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring, handing it to Louis. “I was gonna take it, but it seems pretty important.” he gave a shy smile. “I mean pretty important for a fucking prince charming.”

Louis’ eyes twinkled. “Fuck.” He said. Harry looked confused.

“You’ve already got me wrapped around your finger a million times.” He gave Harry a short kiss. Then, without even thinking twice, he took the ring and looked into Harry’s eyes. “Okay, yeah, this is abrupt, this is sudden. But I want to be with you, to run away with you. And I don’t have much time to spare.” He laughed. “Wedding and all.” he wrapped his arm around Harry. “Give me a reason to run away from everything.”

Harry pulled Louis in for a kiss, pressing their  lips softly together. He lips were smooth, and his breath tasted like peppermints and cinnamon.  However, in one clean swoop, Harry pulled apart from the kiss, grabbed his bag, and ran back into the forest.

A few days later, the wedding day had finally arrived. Louis couldn’t do anything without a decision from Harry, so he sat at his desk in his chambers and started to write.

‘ _If you really love me, meet me at the chapel before the wedding. I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as I can. If you’re not there, I’ll understand your answer. But I’ll have to go through the wedding with Eleanor. Yours Always_ ’ he wrote, and signed ‘ _Louis Tomlinson_ ’ at the end with his fancy black script, sealing the note with the royal seal. He gave the letter to Liam.

“You have to give this to Harry Styles. He’s in the town, I’ve had some other knights track him down. It’s important. It’s imperative.” he explained. “Do you understand?” he asked.

Liam nodded and scurried off with the letter.

Louis stood outside the chapel, outfitted in the castle’s finest clothing. He sat after a while on the bench by the door.

All of a sudden, he heard hoof beats coming overtop the hill. He jumped up, and peered over the slope.

“Please be Harry,” he whispered. “Please be Harry.” He closed his eyes and crossed his fingers.

But, a carriage rolled over the cliff and his heart sunk. He waited hours, having the same reaction each time he thought Harry was coming, with no luck.

When the sun finally set, and the stars blinked from galaxies away, he had no choice but to go inside and do the unthinkable. With his head to the floor, he grudgingly tried to picture an alternate reality. One where he was happy. One where Harry came. He opened the door.

Inside, Simon, the kingdom adviser, tucked the letter he had confiscated from one of the knights inside his suit pocket and smiled. He couldn’t let the prince make a huge mistake, ruin the kingdom’s reputation. He’d thank him for this one day.

At the same time, Harry pounded on the palace gates, shouting for Louis, shouting at the guards to let him inside. It’d been like this for days, everyday ever since he had left Louis unanswered. At first he just needed time to think. But now, his answer was clear.

He couldn’t feel anything but his heart breaking into tiny, unfixable pieces when he heard a few months later that Louis had married Eleanor. The only thing he could think of to do was to leave the kingdom.  He packed up his things and never came back. It was too unbearable to stay when there were reminders of Louis everywhere he looked. No matter where he went, though, he could never get Louis’ eyes out of his mind _or_ his dreams.

**1350 A.D.**

The streets were dangerous. It was so easy to get the sickness just from walking down the street, because so many people now had it, that it was rare to see many people out and about. They put the sick in “sick houses” leaving them to die. They were ugly and extremely uncomfortable, it was a terrible place to be right before you died. Louis wouldn’t wish it on anyone. He was one of the better off, rich probably. He liked to go into the sick houses and comfort the diseased. It was a risk, yes, but he thought that there were worse things in life than getting sick. His mum used to do the same to him when he was sick with the common flu, and now that she was gone, he just felt that this was a way to honor her. To help other people. He wasn’t afraid of anything. He felt like he _had_ to do it for her.

So when he got to a sick house, this time one in Cheshire, he felt was prepared for anything. He was not, though, prepared to meet the love of his life.

He was a young boy, probably around eighteen or nineteen. Louis had taken quite a liking to him when he walked past his bed one day and heard “You must be pretty fucking stupid to come in here. Either that or immortal. I’m going with immortal though, because c’mon, _look_ at you. Who looks like that naturally.” The boy smirked. Louis smiled.

“I’m Harry, by the way. I’d shake your hand, but..” he looked around the room, and whispered “I’m diseased and all. But don't tell anyone. It's a secret.”

“M’Louis. And also not afraid of the ‘disease’, thank you.” He reached out his hand, they shook.

“I’m a mess and you’re a mess, but we can be a mess together. It’s okay to be messy.” he smiled. "Okay there I said it. That's my official pick up line. No taking that back. It's out there. I think you're hot."

Louis loved that about him, how funny, how quirky he was. He had no filter whatsoever. You could tell him anything and he’d instantly have a witty response back. Everyday after that Louis came to visit him. It wasn't even a question. He always cheered Louis up. Sometimes Louis thought he needed Harry way more than he needed Louis. Harry, on the other hand, was the one who should have needed cheering up. He had been in the sick house for a month or so. His mum had dropped him off there as soon as he showed the first symptoms for it, and he’d been there ever since. No one from his family had bothered to visit him, or to say goodbye even.

Even so, whenever Louis visited he was never down in the dumps, or even impartial. He was always ridiculously happy. He told all kinds of jokes, told all kinds of stories. With all of Lou’s money he wished desperately that’d there was some way to fix him, to cure him. But all of his money was useless.

“Even when lying in your death bed, and undoubtedly dying, you still manage to squeeze in at least three bad jokes.” Louis said one day, shaking his head and smiling.

“That’s because think I’m in love with you.” Harry answered. He put his cup of tea to his lips and took a few swigs.

“You think?” Louis asked, taking a sip of his as well.

“Well, I’m not going to admit it until I know you’re okay with it.” he responded, setting the glass back down on his bedside table.

Louis laughed. “You’re in luck then, ‘cause I was thinking the same thing.” Harry grinned, showing off his dimples.

“I hoped so.” Harry responded, fixing his bed covers. He paused for a second, before asking, “but why? Why would you love someone like me? A diseased boy?”

“I can give you hundreds of reasons why I love you. All you have to do is ask.” he declared. “Look at me.”

“No.” Harry refused.

“Look at me.”

He slowly glanced up at Lou and he shook his head before leaning closer to him, “You’re perfect. Stop being so insecure. If I didn’t want you, I wouldn’t be here. I want you. Nobody else. Ever.” Harry gave a shy smile. “Harry, can I ask _you_ something?” Louis questioned. Harry nodded, continuing to mess with his comforter. “Why don’t you ever get upset over the sickness? Why don’t you acknowledge it?” he quietly inquired, finishing the last of his tea. Harry stopped his actions and laid back on the bed, closing his eyes.

“I pretend that I don’t care because I’m terrified of what will happen when I admit that I do.” he replied, voice small and distant. “This is so much harder than I expected it to be. I’m sorry that I’m dragging you with me.” he rubbed his eyes and frowned. 

Louis sighed and leaned his head back a little bit, “I chose to be here. It sucks, yeah. I don’t particularly like it. But I’m here because I want to be. You’re not dragging me through anything.” he said. “But… You know... sometimes it’s okay to give up. Especially when there’s no hope anymore.” he whispered, lacing their hands together.

“There’s always hope. Shut up.”

“Do you not understand how much I’m going to miss you?“ he asked, tears close to spilling from his eyes.

"I’m-” Harry started.

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. Don’t you dare.”Louis put his tea down. He reached a hand out to pet Harry’s head. They laid like this for a while, before Sue, the nurse, came in to tend to Harry. She took one look at the two and sighed.

“Louis, you know the drill. You can’t stay the night here. You gotta go, honey.” she said in mid afternoon, picking up the empty cups of tea, and bringing Harry an extra pillow.

“C’mon, Sue. Just another hour or so?” Lou pleaded. “We’re having quite the conversation here.” she sighed.

“I’m sorry Lou. But you’re not even suppose to be in here anyways, the sickness and all. You have to leave. It’s for your own good. Come back tomorrow.” she answered. Lou frowned. He gave Harry a small peck on his cheek, grabbed his messenger bag, and made his way for the entrance.

He came to visit the next day, a bit earlier than usual. It was raining outside, it had been thunderstorming all of the previous night and a bit into the afternoon of the day before. He walked to Harry’s place in the house and was confused when he didn’t see his curly hair or his emerald eyes.

“Sue? Where’s Harry?” he questioned, pointing to the empty bed.

“I’m sorry, Lou. It happened soon after you left yesterday. I’m truly sorry.” she quietly said. “But he said to give you this.” she reached into the drawer next to the bedside that had been Harry’s. He sunk to his knees, hands to his mouth. His body shuddered with sobs, in an uncontrollable sequence. It was so sudden. So fucking sudden. He wasn't ready for this. Not yet, not ever. She pulled out a single pressed flower, a red rose. Some of the petals had fallen away, but the deep ruby color hadn’t lost any of its pigment.

There was a tiny note attached. It read ‘ _To give to Louis once the inevitable happens: Louis, I wanted to give you something after I’m gone. You’ve given me so much, made these last few weeks perfect. Please know that I died with you in my head, with your memory never leaving my thoughts once. I will always be with you. Don’t ever stop being you. Thank you for everything. Harry._ ’

And that day the earth cried as much as he did. The rain didn’t stop for days.

**1654 A.D.**

Harry had never meant to make a mess of things. He had a simple life, a happy one, really. He was a countryman, living with his wife Caroline in the heart of a forest. They had built a cottage together and made a living by spinning and selling wool.  

Caroline had gotten pregnant, and he was truly happy when she ran in the house to tell him. He believed he would be a great father. Several months later she gave birth to their son. It was a great day until he heard the news.

“Can you believe it? I never would have believed it if I hadn’t heard first hand.” a voice whispered. “I know. Caroline? A adulteress? Unbelievable.” another gossiped. “I feel bad for her poor husband.”

He returned home and picked up their son, rocking him to sleep. It was hours before she returned home from the market. He played happy, gave her a kiss, a hug, but it wasn’t long before he asked her about the rumours. It broke Harry’s heart when she nodded, and looked guiltily at the ground.

“I’m sorry, it was just because-”

“Caroline, stop. You can’t make an excuse, there’s no excuse for that.” he sighed. “You should have told me the truth. It would have been better if I would have left before he was born. I could have been happy. I can’t leave now, but I can’t be happy here. That lie ruined things.” he yelled, and thrusted her sleeping son in her arms, storming out of the cottage. He slammed the door loudly.

Years went by. Colorless years passed before Harry’s eyes. He spent his time at the tavern, drinking his sadness and emptiness away. It was a long time before Harry saw color again.

It came in the form of Louis Tomlinson. He was exquisite. His hair was a deep chestnut brown with shining reddish pigments coming out from hibernation in the sun. His eyes were the same type, in blue, only they sparkled in a different way as his head shook with laughter and his eyes closed at the end of a long day. His skin was a pale almond shade that darkened a bit with the summer’s heat. He was fierce as a lion when someone stood in his path, and did so much more than others even dreamt of without thinking twice of it. He was sweet, with a presence that could light up a room. All Harry could ever picture him as was a rainstorm. Quiet, and calming at first sight, then violent and catastrophic as you waited. Harry knew Louis would ruin him. But he was all he ever dreamt of.

He was a pirate, and had docked in their land for a few weeks to load up on cargo for their next mission. They had met at the town tavern, and Harry had taken a liking to him as soon as he caught an ear of his wonderful tales of the sea and adventure. Harry had begun to visit Louis almost everyday just to hear more.

One night, Louis was telling Harry of his next destination to an unnamed land west. A little while into the details, Caroline burst into the pub and demanded that Harry return home. He groaned.

“Go home, Caroline. I’m busy.” he sighed, eyes returning back to Louis with a laugh.

‘I’m serious, come home, now.” she demanded. Their son peeked from behind her legs and glanced up.

“Daddy. Come home please.” he whispered. Harry let out a long breath and turned back to Louis.

“Sorry mate. I gotta take this.” he said, disappointed. He stood up from the small table and made the trek home.

Later, while laying in bed, he explained his displeasure to Caroline of his current life. He told her how he longed to leave village life with her so they could explore and see the rest of the world.

“Harry, no. We have a son to raise, like it or not.” she said, blowing out the candle next to their bedside and turning over. Fucking hell, he thought. It wasn’t even his son.

He couldn’t even resist packing up a few belongings and walking to the docks, that night. He finally found Louis’s ship, which was just about to set sail. Louis just looked at him and nodded, picking up his bag and setting it with the others.

They kissed that night for the first time, in the mid cabin, rough and wildly. It wasn’t that hard to declare that night the best decision of Harry’s life. He was finally happy, and had someone to be happy with. Life was vibrant with colors he had never noticed before. Everything was perfect, for a few years. _Was_.

“We’ve got to go now, everyone on board!” Louis yelled out from the top of the crow’s nest. The whipping wind of the salty air rustled his hair a bit, and he smiled as he put a hand to his forehead to shade his eyes. He loved the sea. He felt comfortable here, it was his home. He had just finished his tour of the nearby ports, and was starting a new one today. All of a sudden he heard the signal from the guards of the ship. He raced down to the main deck to see what the commotion was about. A blonde woman had snuck on board and was running at the guards with a furious look in her eyes. As she got closer Louis recognized her piece by piece from so many years ago.

“Why did you leave? We were happy. You abandoned us with no explanation.”  she cried out, running to Harry. Harry looked down. He looked shocked to see her.

“No, Caroline. I wasn’t happy. I do regret leaving so suddenly. But I don’t regret leaving.” He said, looking into her eyes. “You don’t deserve a marriage without love. Please just leave. How did you even get up here?” Harry choked out. “I don’t want to see you.”

“I don’t understand how you could do this to someone you loved.” she yelled, stomping her foot with every other word. Harry looked at the ground.

“You’re not the person I loved, you’re someone else.”

“How could you hate me?” she screamed.

“I don’t hate you, I just don’t love you.” he stammered. Caroline wrinkled her brows. She pulled a shiny, sharp dagger out of her boot.

“Well I can’t be happy with you here.” she said, and suddenly thrust it into Harry’s chest. Louis’ heart sun and he cried out, running to Harry. “Louis,” Harry gasped out, with his last breath, slumping to the floor. Caroline pulled the dagger out, and his world turned black. This time it would be Louis who would never see color again.

**1866 A.D.**

Louis was dirty. Quite literally, _dirty_ , all of the time. He hadn’t eaten in days. Dirt and grime had accumulated underneath his fingernails, and the bottoms of his feet were jet black from his tattered shoes in their last leg. He was propped up against a cherry brick building. He closed his eyes and pressed his legs close to him, and placed his head on his knees. A few minutes went by with just the sounds of the streets in his ears before a curly headed fellow strolled by right next to Louis. He stopped in his path, Louis looked up. The man looked him in the eye, and turned around. He went into a shop a few meters down, and returned a couple minutes later with a bag in hand. The man walked back over and sat down next to him.

“What’s your name? I’m Harry.” he said. He placed the bag, filled with food, as Louis could smell the aroma floating up from through the paper. He stayed silent and stared straight ahead. “Ok. Guess you’re not much for talking.” Harry said. “But, I’d like to help you out.” Louis slumped lower.

“Louis.” he spoke quietly. Harry didn’t blink an eye. He did, however, slump against the wall just like Louis.

“Louis, how would you like a job?” Harry asked, turning towards him. Louis’ eyes widened. “I have a share on the railroads and we need workers.” Louis looked down at the floor and nodded. Harry chuckled.

“I’ll take that as a yes, though it could use some enthusiasm.” He reached out a hand. “How ‘bout you come back with me and we’ll get you washed up. You could use it. I have a hotel a couple blocks from here.” Louis nodded once again, took his hand, and pulled himself up. He also grabbed the bag of food off the ground and pulled out a pastry. He took a bite.

They walked silently down the street, Harry pausing every so often to let Louis rest. He didn’t have much energy from his lack of food, and he couldn’t walk much without losing his breath. They finally got to the shining hotel, decked out in rare electric bulbs. Harry opened the door. They took the steps up to the second floor.

"You can take a bath, you know. Go ahead, it's right through that door." Harry offered. Louis nodded and walked into the room.

He looked at his reflection in the shining mirror. How did he left himself get like this, he wondered. He was so scrawny and pale. He felt paper thin, as if his breath was enough to blow him away to the clouds. His bones peeked out through his shirt. He felt like he would never be able to wash off the dirt that was covering him. He walked over to the clawed bathtub, and turned the spout. Water erupted out of the nozzle almost immediately. He undressed, careful as he pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his trousers. Harry abruptly knocked on the door.

“Doing okay in there?” he asked. Louis sighed. He was so fucking thoughtful, so nice. He showed Louis more kindness in a few hours than he had experienced in his entire life. He felt so warm, so full of worth just by being with Harry.

So he dipped his pinkie toe in the water, and when it was warm enough to get in he emerged his body. “Harry?” he called out.

“Yes, Lou?” he answered.

“I need some help in here.” Harry slowly walked over to the door and carefully opened it. He walked over to the tub, and knelt by it. Louis leaned over, and with a quick, steady movement, wrapped his arms around his broad shoulders. He pressed his lips against his warm face, and lost control. His breath smelled of peppermints and cinnamon, and his lips were soft. He pulled Harry into the bath. He helped him pull his jumper over his head, careful not to break the kiss. Their fingers were deeply entangled in each other’s hair. Harry stood up to unbuckle his trousers and pull them off. He also shed his pants. They laid together there, then, in the water, and Louis forgot everything that had ever happened to him besides that very moment.

Louis awoke in the early dawn. Light streamed in from the large windows, and the white bed sheets were strewn all over the bed. He wasn’t used to having them, he probably ripped them off in his sleep. He got up, careful not to wake Harry, and used the washroom.

He looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It was almost half past five. As the carriage was leaving at six, he painfully got his few belongings together. He looked towards Harry, who was sleeping peacefully, smiling in his sleep. He gave him a quick peck on the lips, and slowly walked towards the door. He was careful to close it quietly. He made the carriage just in time.

**1917 A.D.**

Harry awoke by a sudden thundering explosion. The deafening blast knocked him out of the bed, and his ears rang. Men all around him were jumping out of their cots and running for the exit. For him though, it felt as if time had stopped, and was now moving in slow motion. His first thought was Louis, Louis, Louis, _Louis_.

He checked his watch. It was already 04:38. Louis would be in the mess hall, he loved to be the first one to get breakfast. Harry frantically ran to the hallway, like the other men, but once he was there, ran away from the exits and in the opposite direction. As the men rumbled with whispers about the bombing, the only thing Harry could hear was ‘It looks like the bomb exploded in the mess hall’. The sentence rang in his ears, over and over, until Harry couldn’t stand it anymore. He arrived at the door, finally. His heart sunk as he heard deafening cries as soon as he swung the door open.

“Louis! Louis! Where are you!” he screamed, scanning the room for the sight of his feathery brown head. ‘Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be _dead_.’ echoed in his mind. Every soldier in the room seemed to be crying out in pain. It was a scene you only read about in storybooks. He was always afraid this would happen to him, once he joined the army. But he always prayed it wouldn’t. He was overcome with emotions.

All of a sudden, he saw a slightly familiar looking pair of socks on one soldier coincidentally, so Harry ran over. His intuition was right, but he wished it wasn’t. Lou’s leg was crushed under a giant heavy piece of metal. The bone was showing, and he was losing so much blood. Louis was alive, injured but alive. That was the only thing that was stopping Harry from screaming. At least he was unconscious.

Harry grabbed hold of the metal sheet and yanked upwards with all his force. The piece only bugged a little bit. Again he pulled. It moved a little more. He did this, over and over again, about a hundred times it felt like, before he finally got it out. He ripped his own shirt off and found a metal bar and made a tourniquet. It was bad, but it was the best he could do.

He picked up Louis, being as careful as he could with his leg, and threw him on his back. There was no way he was leaving without him. Thank God he was as light as a rag doll, and Harry had taken up weight lifting in his teen years. Harry carried him all the way to the infirmary, and delicately laid him on a bed.

It was three days before he woke. Ten, before he seemed like himself again. And twelve before he said, “Harry, I got a notice,” looking down at his legs in the hospital bed and crumpling up the yellow slip of paper in his hand. Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

“Notice for what?” he asked.

“Leave. They’re sending me home.” Louis remarked, eyes deep with sadness. Harry’s heart skipped a little. He looked back into Lou’s eyes and laughed.

“That’s great, Louis! Soon they’ll send me home, too, and we can finally stop worrying about what comes next. Who gets bombed next. It’s almost over, Lou.” Harry rejoiced with a smile.

“Thank God,” Louis breathed a breath of relief, “I was worried you were going to just call this a fling or something and end it.”

“I could never end us, Lou. We’re in this ‘till the end. I know we can’t get government married, but we’ll be the next best thing. There’s no way I’d ever want you to feel the way I did when you got hurt. The possibility of having to live without you.” he said.

The next day men in uniforms came to take Louis back to England. Harry was sad it’d be a while before he got to see Louis again, but he was glad Louis would be safe. He’d miss his smiling face, his mood-lifting laugh. It wouldn’t be long before Harry would be home, though. He could feel it in his bones.

Soon after, the got a call in the barracks to inspect a Nazi base in South Germany near to where they were stationed. He was afraid he’d be called back into action again. His mood plummeted.

A few days later they left for the base. Harry put in his pocket the letter he had wrote a few months ago for Lou incase anything ever happened to him, and the wrist watch Lou had gave him before he left. It was comforting to know a wave of Louis was right beside him, one zip away. They traveled by train. Harry clutched his gun the whole ride there, feeling the cool metal against his skin, and so desperately wishing it to be warm Louis instead. The entire infantry sat in silence. They were all missing their families. They were all worried about what they would be facing at the new base.

Harry’s worst fears were confirmed. As they marched up the hill leading to the entrance, bullets whizzed inches away from his body. Men standing right next to him fell. It was a disaster. He was so scared of being hit. He furrowed his brow. He had survived so much. He would survive this. It was impossible to count how many times he shot his gun. His one defense was saving him. They got to the base not much longer after that. It was a tremendous victory, Harry couldn’t wait to go home and tell Louis about the adventure.

But, a few days later, once the excitement had gone down, a chaplain came to visit Harry. It was impossible, it was the last thing Harry had expected.His worst fear had come true. Lou had developed gangrene, a rapid infection, in his injured legs.

“Even the bravest people are afraid of something.” Louis had once said. “If you can get through this, you can get through anything.” But he was gone, and so was Harry’s last will to fight.

**2010 A.D.**

The first time Harry saw Louis, he was waiting in the never-ending line to see the judges. It was taking a long, unimaginable amount of time waiting for their numbers to be called, and he was so bored and tired from being there all day. Looking across the crowd, his eyes fixated on the boy staring forward, eyes blank, in a daydream. The sun shone on him and his eyes were brilliantly luminous blue, his face was flushed. He was exquisite. His hair was a deep chestnut brown with shining reddish pigments coming out from hibernation in the sun.Louis abruptly snapped out of his blank stare and caught Harry’s eye. He smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting up before he glanced to the floor.  **  
**

Damn. He felt was a bit awkward, smiling at each other when they didn’t actually know each other. The boy probably felt weirded out. Harry blushed and cursed under his breath. But something about it just felt so right.

The first time Louis had seen Harry, he was being interviewed in the sea of people by one of the crew members for the show. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of him during the interview, he was intriguing. The boy was unique, there was something off about him, something special, but it is what made him beautiful. His messy, curly head of hair fell all over his face in just the right way. When he smiled, he made everyone do the same. He reminded Louis of home.

They met that day in the bathroom, of all places. Louis was at the sink, washing his hands, when he dropped the whole roll of paper towels all over the floor.

“Oops..” he said, taking in the sight of the tremendous mess he had made. Harry walked in right at that moment, and laughed a little.

“Hi.” he said in return, with a tiny, almost unnoticeable smirk on his face. “Need some help here?” Louis nodded. They picked up the paper towels, chatting a little (mainly showing each other up with sarcastic jokes), exchanging names and hometowns, both boys blushing and smiling like idiots when their warms hands brushed for a millisecond. Shivers went up Lou's spine, despite the hot air, and it felt as though his heart beat faster than it ever had before. Harry's breath smelled of peppermints and cinnamon.It was magical. When the bathroom was finally spotless once again, Louis looked at the floor and with a tiny voice asked, “So, can I get your autograph? I mean, you’re going to be famous for sure. I probably won't even get one 'yes'. There's probably no hope, when I'm compared to people like you.”

Harry laughed and nodded, grabbing a pen out of his back pocket. “I’d say the same to you. There’s always hope. Shut up. ” he said. “In fact, why don’t we get a picture?” Harry took the picture on his phone and put in back in his pocket. It was comforting to know a wave of Louis was right beside him, one zip away. They'd hit it off so well, Harry was certain they'd be seeing each other again. He couldn't, didn't want to imagine anything else.

When they finally emerged from the restroom, they parted ways with a nod. Louis couldn’t get the shaking feeling out of his head that he had met Harry before, known him before. There was something about him that seemed so familiar. He smiled thinking of the memory, and walked towards the theatre to finally perform his audition.

_The rest, as you can imagine, was history._

**Author's Note:**

> I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE DEATHS!!!!
> 
> Feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading. You can follow me on twitter at @harryIouiz and tumblr at [harrylouiz](http://www.harrylouiz.tumblr.com)  
> 


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